Kickbacks alleged in Orange County drug treatment facilities

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A U.S. Justice Department investigation of kickback schemes at substance abuse treatment facilities in Orange County has led to criminal charges against 10 defendants this year. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office said this week that the defendants are substance abuse facility owners and patient recruiters. The alleged schemes involved kickback payments for the referral of patients to treatment facilities, recovery homes or laboratories. The owners allegedly assigned a value to patients depending on the type of insurance they had and then paid recruiters monthly kickbacks for as long as patients received purported services at addiction treatment facilities.